IDF confirms it has begun striking eastern Rafah Ruth Michaelson is reporting on the IDF’s strikes in eastern Rafah for the Guardian. Less than 24 hours after the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets telling tens of thousands of people to flee eastern Rafah, Israeli forces have begun striking the area. The IDF tweeted it is “currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza”. Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli airstrikes hit “roads, agricultural land, residential houses and animal farms” in three neighbourhoods in eastern Rafah. The Turkish news outlet Anadolu reports that the Israeli army has intensified shelling on eastern Rafah. Those in Rafah reported that Israeli attacks stepped up late last night with airstrikes that killed 26 people according to the Palestinian health ministry, creating an environment of growing fear that had already prompted some to flee before the IDF dropped leaflets instructing thousands to evacuate. The Egyptian channel Al Qahera broadcast footage of the aftermath of a strike on an aid warehouse on the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in the late afternoon, prompting fears about the weakening supply of aid with both major crossings into the enclave shuttered. The Associated Press reported soon afterwards that people cheered when they heard reports that Hamas had agreed to an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, although this joy appeared short-lived as Israeli strikes intensified despite the news that Israel will send a delegation to Cairo to discuss the deal. The United Nations security council has announced its “intention” to hold closed consultations regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to Arab media outlet Al Mayadeen English. In March the council demanded a “lasting, sustainable ceasefire” and the release of all hostages. Photos have emerged from some protests taking place outside the main military headquarters in Tel Aviv, calling for a ceasefire deal that would allow for the release of Israeli hostages. Smaller gatherings were reported in Jerusalem and other cities across Israel. Saudi Arabia condemns targeting of Rafah As Israel targets the city of Rafah, where many refugees are sheltering, the foreign ministry of Saudi Arabia has called on the international community to “intervene immediately to stop the genocide carried out by the occupation forces”. “The Israeli occupation forces targeting the city of Rafah as part of its systematic, bloody campaign to storm all areas of the Gaza Strip and displace its residents towards the unknown,” the statement said, according to Haaretz. Israel sending delegation to Egypt to discuss ceasefire, adding proposal "far from meeting Israel"s core demands" The office of the Israeli prime minister has confirmed on Twitter reports that Israel will continue operations in Rafah “so as to advance the release of our hostages”. “While the Hamas proposal is far from meeting Israel’s core demands, Israel will dispatch a ranking delegation to Egypt in an effort to maximize the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel,” the office said in a statement. Videos from the ground showed strikes on the city, where millions of Palestinian refugees have been sheltering. Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned during a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday that an Israeli attack on Rafah threatens to lead to a “new massacre”, the Jordanian royal court said in a statement. The Guardian’s Jason Burke has this dispatch on reaction in Israel to the ceasefire announcement: The news that Hamas had accepted a ceasefire proposal has been greeted with scepticism by Israeli officials and enthusiasm by groups in Israel representing hostages held in Gaza. One Israeli official told the Guardian it was unclear exactly which proposal Hamas was accepting, as some of the terms appeared to differ substantially from those shown by mediators to Israel and agreed by the Israeli government last week. “Right now [we] don’t recognise some,” one official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said. Despite the late hour, hundreds of people converged on the main military headquarters in Tel Aviv calling for a deal now. Smaller gatherings were reported in Jerusalem and other cities across Israel. “Hamas’ announcement must pave the way for the return of the 132 hostages held captive by Hamas for the past 7 months. Now is the time for all that are involved, to fulfill their commitment and turn this opportunity into a deal for the return of all the hostages,” a statement from The Hostages Families Forum said. The Hamas announcement will pose a significant political challenge to Israel’s prime minister who is under pressure from the far right parties and leaders on whom his grip on power largely depends to reject any ceasefire. “Hamas’ exercises and games have only one answer: an immediate order to occupy Rafah! Increasing military pressure, and continuing the complete defeat of Hamas, until its complete defeat,” he far right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote on X. Israel’s diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, posted on X: “FCK HMS”. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the government was not serious about freeing the hostages. “A government that wants to return the abductees should be convening an urgent discussion and sending [negotiating] teams to Cairo, not hysterically issuing three different briefings from different parties and crushing the hearts of the families. A national disgrace. There is no limit,” Lapid wrote on X What we know so far It is just after 11pm in Gaza and Tel Aviv. Here is a summary of what has happened so far: Israel’s military is now launching targeted strikes in eastern Rafah, Reuters and AP reported citing a statement. Israel says it is striking Hamas targets in the region. But more than 1 million displaced Palestinian people have sought refuge in Rafah amid Israel’s attacks in Gaza, the Washington Post reported. Hamas says it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal to halt the seven-month war with Israel. It issued a statement on Monday saying its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister. An IDF spokesperson said Israel will continue to act in a “operational manner” in Gaza despite Hamas announcing that it accepted a Gaza ceasefire deal on Monday. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel is going to continue to act in an operational manner, saying earlier that Israel has a right to defend itself. US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed Hamas has “issued a response”, when asked about Hamas’s announcement that it accepted a ceasefire deal. “We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region,” Miller said. I’m passing coverage to my colleague on the west coast. Thank you for reading! UN secretary-general António Guterres has called on Israel to “go the extra mile” to reach a ceasefire deal and “stop the present suffering”, his spokesperson said. Stéphane Dujarric added that Guterres is concerned about “indications” that a large-scale military operation in Rafah. Guterres added that civilians should be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law. IDF confirms it has begun striking eastern Rafah Ruth Michaelson is reporting on the IDF’s strikes in eastern Rafah for the Guardian. Less than 24 hours after the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) dropped leaflets telling tens of thousands of people to flee eastern Rafah, Israeli forces have begun striking the area. The IDF tweeted it is “currently conducting targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in southern Gaza”. Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli airstrikes hit “roads, agricultural land, residential houses and animal farms” in three neighbourhoods in eastern Rafah. The Turkish news outlet Anadolu reports that the Israeli army has intensified shelling on eastern Rafah. Those in Rafah reported that Israeli attacks stepped up late last night with airstrikes that killed 26 people according to the Palestinian health ministry, creating an environment of growing fear that had already prompted some to flee before the IDF dropped leaflets instructing thousands to evacuate. The Egyptian channel Al Qahera broadcast footage of the aftermath of a strike on an aid warehouse on the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in the late afternoon, prompting fears about the weakening supply of aid with both major crossings into the enclave shuttered. The Associated Press reported soon afterwards that people cheered when they heard reports that Hamas had agreed to an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, although this joy appeared short-lived as Israeli strikes intensified despite the news that Israel will send a delegation to Cairo to discuss the deal. Israel"s military announces strikes in eastern Rafah Israel’s military announced they are now launching targeted strikes in eastern Rafah, Reuters and AP reported citing a statement. Israel says that they are striking Hamas targets in the region. But more than 1m displaced Palestinian people have sought refuge in Rafah amid Israel’s attacks in Gaza, the Washington Post reported. Israel "still plans to proceed with Rafah invasion plans" Israel still plans to proceed with a 90-day plan to invade Rafah, which Washington is committed to stopping, according to reports. The country’s war cabinet has decided to continue its operations in order to secure the release of hostages, the journalist Barack Ravid posted on X. It comes as a US official familiar with truce negotiations between Hamas and Israel told Reuters on Monday that it would proceed with its invasion plans. “Netanyahu and the war cabinet have not appeared to approach the latest phase of negotiations (with Hamas) in good faith,” the official told Reuters, asking not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. The White House is aware of a report that a US soldier was detained in Russia over the weekend, national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday. More lines on this as we get it. Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh reviewed with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani the “required measures” to guarantee implementing the ceasefire proposal, the Palestinian group said in a statement. Hamas earlier said it had accepted a proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators after weeks of stop-start talks on a deal for a temporary pause in fighting and the release of hostages to Israel. Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called in a statement to exert more effort to reach a deal in Gaza, saying he was closely following positive developments of the current negotiations to reach “a comprehensive truce”. Meanwhile, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he held a phone call with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Monday to discuss efforts to end the fighting in Gaza, as well as the militant group’s decision to accept a ceasefire in the enclave. “During the call, in which I stated that I found it positive for Hamas to take such a decision with Turkey’s suggestion, we emphasised that Israel must take a step for a lasting ceasefire too,” Erdogan said on X. White House "reviewing" response by Hamas to ceasefire and hostage release deal The White House has said it was reviewing a response by the Islamist Hamas militant group to a ceasefire and hostage release deal, but declined to give any details of what was agreed. CIA director William Burns was in the region having discussions on the proposal, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. “We want to get these hostages out, we want to get a ceasefire in place for six weeks, we want to increase humanitarian assistance,” Kirby said, adding that reaching an agreement would be the “absolute best outcome.” At the state department, spokesperson Matthew Miller, gave an initial response to the Hamas announcement that they had accepted a ceasefire deal, which he said the administration had received shortly after midday. “I can confirm that Hamas has issued a response. We are reviewing that response now,” Miller said. “As you know, Director Burns, [CIA chief William Burns] is in the region working on this in real time. We will be discussing this response with our partners over the coming hours. “We continue to believe that a hostage deal is in the best interests of the Israeli people, it’s in the best interest of the Palestinian people, it would bring an immediate ceasefire, it would allow increased movement of humanitarian assistance, and so we’re going to continue to work to try to reach one.” Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the Hamas chief told him in a phone call that the ball is now in Israel’s court after the group had agreed to an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal. Amirabdollahian also said on X that Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh had told him: “We are sincere in our intentions.” The United States is “quite concerned” about Israel’s shutdown of Al Jazeera’s operations in the country, US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said today, a day after Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used as the TV station’s local office. Washington thinks Qatari-owned Al Jazeera ought to be able to operate in Israel, Miller added. The United States will discuss Hamas’s response to a ceasefire proposal with allies in the Middle East in the coming hours, state department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. An Israeli official said no ceasefire agreement had been reached despite the Palestinian militant group Hamas saying on Monday it had accepted a proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. Ceasefire deal Hamas has agreed to will take place in three phases A Hamas official said that the ceasefire deal they agreed to will take place in three phases, Reuters reported. Khalil Al-Hayya, the deputy chief of Hamas, said that each stage of the agreement is 42 days long. The first stage of the agreement will feature an Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap, which includes Israeli civilians. The second phase mandates that Israel completely withdraw from Gaza. Miller said that a ceasefire is still “absolutely achievable”, amid mixed receptions from Israel following Hamas’s latest announcement that they accepted a ceasefire deal. “A ceasefire is absolutely achievable,” Miller said, adding that the US supports a separate deal that would achieve an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas. Miller again declined to comment on what he called Hamas’s “response” to a ceasefire agreement as it is still being reviewed. US spokesman says Israel should hold off a military offensive in Rafah Miller said that Israel should hold off a military offensive in Rafah as it would “dramatically” increase the suffering of people in Palestine. “We cannot support an operation in Rafah as it is currently envisioned,” Miller said, adding that the US’s position on this has not changed. “We believe a military operation in Rafah right now would dramatically increase the suffering of the Palestinian people…would dramatically disrupt the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” he added. Miller declined to comment on reports that Hamas may have agreed to a ceasefire deal that the US was not involved with. “I’ve seen those suggestions … Because we are working on this in real time and trying to reach an agreement, I’m just going to decline to comment [in] detail about any of those reports,” Miller said. US confirms Hamas has "issued a response" to ceasefire proposal Miller confirmed that Hamas has “issued a response”, when asked about Hamas’s announcement that they accepted a ceasefire deal. “We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region,” Miller said. “We continue to believe that a hostage deal is in the best interest of the Israeli people. It’s in the best interest of the Palestinian people,” Miller added, noting that a deal would also ensure aid to Gaza. The US state department briefing is now underway. State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the US opposes Israel’s shutdown of the Al Jazeera Network and that the network should be allowed to operate in Israel. “We support media freedom from all around the world and we are quite concerned about this action,” said Miller. IDF says Hamas announcement doesn"t change "operational" action in Gaza An IDF spokesperson said that Israel will continue to act in a “operational manner” in the Gaza strip despite Hamas announcing that they accepted a Gaza ceasefire deal on Monday. When asked if the ceasefire notification changes anything, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that Israel is “exploring every single thing we hear”, referring to the ceasefire deal. Hagari added that Israel officials “examine every answer and response in the most seriously manner and are exhausting every possibility regarding negotiations and returning the hostages,” during a media briefing. But Hagari said that Israel is going to continue to act in an operational manner, saying earlier that Israel has a right to defend itself. From Hagari: We are exploring every single thing that we hear and we are exhausting the potential about negotiations and bringing back the hostages and that is our main mission, to bring them home as quickly as possible, but in parallel, we are continuing to act in an operational manner in the Gaza strip and we will continue to do so. An Israeli official is now giving remarks following Hamas’s announcement of the agreed ceasefire deal. Stay tuned for further updates. A Hamas official told Reuters that the deal Hamas agreed to includes a ceasefire, the return of displaced people, the reconstruction of Gaza, and a prisoner swap. Taher Al-Nono, a Hamas official, shared additional details of the agreement with Reuters. Other Israeli news sources are reporting that Israeli officials are not seriously considering the truce that Hamas agreed to. N12 News, an Israeli news site, is reporting that senior officials in Israel are not taking the deal seriously and believe it is a “far-reaching” proposal that is not acceptable to Israel. Hamas acceptance "appears to be a ruse", says Israeli official Here are the full remarks from the Israeli official who described the truce Hamas agreed to as a “softened” version to Reuters. The official spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity. This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal… Israel does not approve of "softened" proposal Hamas accepts, Israeli official says An Israeli official said that Hamas accepted a “softened” version of an Egyptian proposal that Israel does not approve of, Reuters reported. The official added that the announcement from Hamas about the accepted deal appears to be a “ruse” to make it appear as if Israel is refusing the ceasefire agreement. Israeli media has also reported that Israel will likely not accept the Gaza ceasefire deal, which is also being described as “one-sided”. There was no immediate comment from Israel on the deal, and details of the proposal have not yet been released, the AP reports. In recent days, Egyptian and Hamas officials have said the cease-fire would take place in a series of stages, during which Hamas would release hostages it is holding in exchange for Israeli troop pullbacks from Gaza. It is not clear whether the deal will meet Hamas’s key demand of bringing about an end to the war and complete Israeli withdrawal. Hamas said in a statement its top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister. After the release of the statement, Palestinians erupted in cheers in the sprawling tent camps around Rafah, hoping the deal meant an Israeli attack had been averted. Hamas has told mediators it accepts Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire deal Hamas says it has accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal to halt seven-month war with Israel. It issued a statement Monday saying its supreme leader, Ismail Haniyeh, had delivered the news in a phone call with Qatar’s prime minister and Egypt’s intelligence minister. The two Middle Eastern nations have been mediating months of talks between Israel and Hamas. There was no immediate comment from Israel. Follow live for the latest updates and reactions as we get them.